


The Family That Fights Together

by em_iloveyou_d



Series: The Marvel Agents [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Men in Black (Movies), The Avengers (2012), Thor (2011)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-08-12
Updated: 2012-10-27
Packaged: 2017-11-12 00:39:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 9,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/484697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/em_iloveyou_d/pseuds/em_iloveyou_d
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She knows she's been waiting for this call ever since her parents told her about their jobs, but she feels like its still so unexpected and far too early. This is the story of the family that fights together to stay together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Driving Miss Darcy (2012)

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of the Marvel Agents Fanverse, which is a fanverse my friend Bee created that I have been pouring my soul into because I love it. So that means that Darcy is the daughter of Maria Hill and Phil Coulson, the granddaughter of Agent K, and the second cousin of Jo Lupo. This story doesn't follow a direct order, but most of the chapters have date labels on them that a somewhat accurate of the time line I'm following.

Darcy Lewis is working hard trying not to smack Jane upside the head when her cellphone goes off. She half expects it to go off, SHIELD has been trying to keep her updated on the "Protect Jane Foster" mission, but the caller ID surprises her.

"Mom?"

"Darcy...! Darcy, sweetie, your father has been severely injured..." 

Darcy feels tears well up in her eyes at this and covers her mouth. Jane looks over at her, concerned, but Darcy turns around quickly and heads outside to talk in private. 

She knows she's been waiting for this call ever since her parents told her about their jobs, but she feels like its still so unexpected and far too early. 

"Is Dad okay?"

She hears her mother sniffle on the other end, and Darcy starts crying herself. 

"...They won't let me see him yet. I don't know, honey."

Darcy sits down against the lab wall and holds her breath. She barely sees her parents anymore, and now she might be losing one of them. She has a feeling this has something to do with Norse mythology, but she lets it go and just cries into the phone.

"Your grandpa is coming to get you. I'll see you in a few hours."

"Okay, Mom..."

"Darcy... He's going to pull through. He promised to take you to Harry Potter World for your birthday next month, and you know he never breaks his promises."

She can tell her mother is saying this more to herself then to her, but Darcy whispers okay, and tries to sound hopeful when her mother tells her she loves her and says goodbye. Darcy hangs up her phone and cries a little more until Jane finds her and comforts her. 

Ten minutes later, a black car pulls up, and two men in suits get out. Jane is immediately defensive, still upset over the last time SHIELD raided her lab, but Darcy springs up and runs over to the older man and flings herself on him. He catches her and hugs her to him and strokes her hair. 

"Grandpa! I haven't see you since Christmas!"

"I missed you too, princess!"

They pull apart, and Darcy turns to the other man and punches him playfully on the arm. "Jay! You came too?!"

Said man smiles and takes off his sunglasses. "Of course. Stopped off at the gas station and pick you up some snacks for the trip." 

For a few minutes, Darcy's mind isn't on the worst possible scenario. She introduces Kay and Jay to Jane as her grandpa, _a senior FBI agent,_ and his partner Jay. They chat a bit, but then Kay monitions to the car. 

"Time to head out, kiddo. Someone's waiting to see you."

Jane hugs her goodbye, and the two agents and Darcy get in the car and drive off. Once a good distance away, her grandfather flips the top off the gearshift to reveal the red button and leans back to Darcy in the backseat.

"Would you like to do the honors, princess?"

Darcy slams the red button hard, and the car shoots off. It's almost like a roller coaster, and Darcy enjoys it guiltily. After an hour, they approach the helicarrier and Jay picks up the car's radio.

"This is Agent Jay and Kay, requesting landing."

Nick Fury just walks out of the council room when an agent calls him over radio with an unidentified aircraft requesting landing. He heads to the control room and is informed it's a flying car. He sighs, rolls his eye, and has the car's radio patched through.

"Kay, what do I owe the pleasure of you landing a car on my helicarrier?"

"Fury! Good to hear you. Just a little family reunion. Someone needs to see her father, and I need to speak with someone about increased security."

Fury cuts the call and gives them clearance to land. 

They park and head to the medbay, where Maria Hill is outside pacing. Darcy catches sight of her first and runs to her. "MOM!"

Maria spins around, and everyone can see her red eyes and tear tracks. She looks so relieved once she catches sight of Darcy and meets her halfway. She pulls the girl in close and holds her tight. "I see your grandfather got you here safely."

"We took the car this time. I wore my seatbelt, don't worry."

Agent Kay and Jay finally catch up, and Maria looks over Darcy's head with sad eyes. Kay puts a hand on her shoulder and Jay looks down at they ground, and everyone is silent for a moment. Then Kay pulls away and steps back.

"Jay and I are going to have a talk with Fury, and then we'll be back. Keep us posted if anything changes."

Maria nods and watches them turn a corner before she goes back to holding Darcy and asking her about Jane Foster and their research.

Finally, the doctors leave Phil's room, after two hours of mother and daughter nervously waiting. They inform the family of Phil's condition, that he has a lot of healing to do before he can be up to his game, and how it will be a while till he wakes up. 

They let Darcy in to see him while Maria calls her father-in-law with the new information. Once she hangs up, she grabs a seat right next to Darcy and watches her resting husband.  He's got IVs and heart monitors all over him, but he's breathing on his own, and Maria and Darcy are so relieved and happy that the main man in their lives is going to pull through. 

Darcy begins to slump in her seat, and Maria pulls Darcy against her shoulder and strokes her hair until her daughter is drowsy. "Have I ever told you the story of how your father and I met?"

"Once, a while ago," Darcy yawns. "I don't remember most of it."

"Well..."


	2. The Assistant (1990)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She's young pop-star slash model and she has no idea what his name is.

She's a young girl they first meet. Her hair is bleached blonde and waved, her eyes big and blue, and she's wearing far too much lip gloss. She's a model and singer, shooting her second music video on the beach. He's the director's assistant. Whenever her and the director are talking, he's there, off to the left with those bright eyes. She has force herself not to turn and stare at him, and just listen to the director during meetings and blocking rehersals. She knows the director well, he did her first video, but his assistant is new. She has no idea what his name is. 

On the first day of shooting, she trips over a piece of driftwood and face plants into the sand. She swears she's down there forever, until she feels someone pick her up under her armpits and haul her up. "Are you okay?!" It's the assistant. She babbles about shoes for a few minutes before she gets her footing and scampers off to her trailer and hides behind her couch.

The second day goes better. They film the cameos while she waits in her chair on standby. She's so busy reading Nightmares and Dreamscapes, she doesn't even notice someone is standing beside her until they clear their throat. "That's a pretty cool book you've got there. I honestly read it in one sitting." Maria's eyes are wide, and she's frozen in place. It's him again. "But he got a few things wrong in it. I wish I could write him with a few corrections." All she can do is squeak and nod in response. He's about to open his mouth and say something else, but the director calls him over, and she stares as he walks away, waving and smiling.

Her third day, she spends half the morning working up the courage to say something, anything to him. He probably thinks she's some dumb model turned signer, with a brain full of cheesy hooks and imagined fame. She bets he's some kind of up and coming, only interested in girls who have PHDs and have traveled the world. She's only been to the major cities of Canada and The North East United States. She's probably invisible to him. She still doesn't know his name.

When she gets to the set, they go over choreography one more time, and begin shooting. She's rolling in the sand when a gunshot goes off. Everyone looks around in a panic, but they can't find anything wrong until someone runs onto set, followed by the director's assistant. Both of them are holding guns.

The man the assistant is chasing grabs her off the ground and holds his gun to her head. Maria goes limp in terror, and the man has to struggle to keep her upright. Seeing how she's distracting him, she pretends to faint and let's her body relax as much as possible. The man finally gives up on holding her hostage and runs off. She sits up as soon as he's gone and watches as the assistant chases after him. She's so confused, but the director doesn't give her the time to think and goes right back to shooting.

Two hours later, the set is swarmed by black SUVs filled with men in black suits. The assistant comes back to set, dragging the man he was chasing by his handcuffs.  Maria is wrapped up in a shock blanket, sitting on the back of a truck when he passes by her, and she finally finds her nerve. "You're in the FBI?!"

He stops and turns to her, face completely void of anything. This isn't the assistant anymore. She looks at his eyes, and can't find the smile or charming glint he used to have. It hurts her. The man she's been gushing over for the past few weeks is a lie. 

"Miss Hill," he greets, "I see you're okay. My name is Agent Coulson, I'm a part of SHIELD. I have to inform you that we'll be holding you and the crew here until tomorrow morning for questioning."

She nods, and does the best she can to copy his impassive face, but she just feels something inside her start to boil. She was so stupid, getting a crush on a cover identity. She just wants to take off her shoes and beat this agent with them. When he walks away from her, she takes one glittery heel off and chucks it right at the back of his head. It hits him hard, and she swears she sees a cut forming before she tosses the other one at his back and stalks off to talk to the director and then lock herself in her trailer. Coulson is a stupid last name.

The agents set up a camp for everyone on the beach, but Maria stays in her trailer and refuses to come out for dinner. Every time someone knocks on her door, she does her best diva voice and demands to be left alone. She buries herself under some blankets, reads her book, and tries her best not to cry all over it. 

Another knock sounds at her door, and she clears her throat and yells for them to leave her alone.

"Miss Hill. It's Agent Coulson. I need a witness statement from you."

Maria growls, grabs the fruit basket on her coffee table and hurls it at the trailer door. "I SAID LEAVE ME ALONE."

There's some clicking, and then her trailer door swings open and Agent Coulson steps in, face as blank as ever. "Miss Hill, I understand fame can be very stressful and being held hostage can only make it worse, but could you please stop throwing projectiles at me for five minutes and give me a witness statement? You're the last one we need."

She wipes at her eyes and fixes her ponytail and sits up on the couch, frowning, but motions for him to sit in the chair across from her. 

"Witness statement," she hisses. "A men held a gun to my head, I pretend to faint, he dropped me and ran off. The end." She crosses her arms over her chest and glares. "Now please get out of my trailer."

Agent Coulson scribbles down what she says and then looks up at her. "Why are you so angry? Was the suspect in relations with you?"

Maria sputters at this and her face turns bright red. Her voice goes high pitched and she wants to throw something and hide. "I'm not seeing anyone, thank you very much!"

"Oh. Good."

She almost misses his eyes going wide, but she definitely catches his cheeks getting pink. She jumps up from the couch and stalks over to him, staring him down, but he quickly gets distant again and stares back at her emptily. 

"...You like me, don't you?" she questions. He doesn't answer and she leans in closer to him. "You like me. Don't hide it. You. Like. Me." He still doesn't move, doesn't even blink, and she gets so close to him their noses are almost touching. "Why won't you react?" she whispers

"I can't really see anyone right now. My job does't allow me enough time," he whispers back. 

Maria reels back, eyes wide, and sits on the coffee table in front of him looking at the ceiling. "You know about me liking you, and you like me, but your job is in the way? First it was the emotionally unavailable surfer who lived with his parents and now this?!"

He laughs at this, and she watches as he slowly melts from the cold agent into the friendly assistant she's been crushing on. She grins and laughs along, and they spend a few hours talking about Stephen King novels and their jobs until the sun peaks up over the shoreline. 

He goes to leave and stops on the steps out her trailer door and looks back to see her right behind him, smilingly sadly. 

"I had a great time talking to you tonight.." he starts, but Maria, moving a foot above him, goes in for the kill and kisses him hard on the lips. She feels him stumble back a little, and she almost pulls away herself, but he leans in closer and grabs hold of her hips. It feel so soft and romantic and perfectly tragic when they pull away from each other. They smile, and Phil hands her a scrap of paper with a number on it. 

"If you ever need me, try this number." 

"Do you want my number?"

"I already have it," he replies with a smirk. Maria rolls her eyes and pushes his shoulder, and he stumbles into the door. "I also took a look at your schedule and saw you'll be in New York next month, try to keep that friday clear." With that, he's out the door, and she watches as he heads into an SUV, and the whole fleet just rides off into the distance.

They finish the music video the next day, and a month later, she's in New York, Friday, walking through the zoo waiting for her date when someone tries to mug her. She punches the mugger out with a mean right hook and uses her scarf to tie his wrists behind his back. Phil finds her standing onto of the man's unconscious body, fixing her makeup, and makes a note to ask her abutting leaving behind the popstar life to join SHIELD.          


	3. Lunchtime (1991)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One year later, they're young and in love in New York City.

On a peaceful afternoon in New York City, Phil Coulson rounds a corner of cubicles and spots Maria Hill typing up a report with vigor. He hangs outside her cubicle and watches her finish it up, then swivel in her chair to play with the Captain America bobble head he bought her for their third month anniversary when he had to go on a mission. Finally, he clears his throat to get her attention, and she spins around, huge smile on her face. 

"Ready for lunch?"

She nods and grabs her purse, and the two of them head out of SHIELD's office building and down the streets of New York. They spot at a pizza parlor and watch a hockey game replay on TV while Maria tells him all about her new promotion, and how one day she's going to be at the top. Phil laughs, because he hopes she only wants to get ahead in her career so she can be on the same rank as him and they can be partners, and not because she wants to be his boss.

He brings up their upcoming one-year anniversary, and Maria blushes and looks down at the table and fidgets. He takes this as a good sign, and asks her what she wants to do. She only mumbles in response, before turning the question on him, and then stuffing a slice of pizza in her mouth. 

By the end of lunch, they make plans to spend a weekend in a Bed and Breakfast and just lounge around. No cellphones, no guns, no reports. Just what they want. 

They hold hands as they walk back to SHIELD offices, but Phil pulls her towards the park at the last minute. They grab a bench, and Phil tries not to show how nervous he is. He doesn't even notice how fidgety Maria is getting and how she's looking anywhere but him. 

"Maria... I know we haven't been together very long," he starts, staring up at the sky and missing the panic on Maria's face, "but I think it's time to be honest with one another." he stands up from the bench and moves to in front of Maria's knees, and then goes down on one knee. "I need to tell you how I really, truly, feel about you. And I hope-"

"I'm pregnant!" Maria wails. 

Phil stumbles at this, drops the ring he was trying to get out of his pocket and stares slack jawed at Maria. Maria doesn't look back at him, too busy burying her face in her hands and crying. 

Phil clears his throat and reaches for Maria's hands and pulls them from her face to hold them in her lap. They stare at each other for a few minutes, both trying to think of something to say. 

"How far along are you?" Phil finally whispers.

Maria sniffles and looks down at her hands. "A month or two, maybe? I took a test last night... I was planning on going to the doctor after work today."

Phil sighs and rubs a hand through his hair, and then smiles up at Maria. "You know I was honestly trying to propose to you just now."

Maria smiles down at him, tears still flowing. "I thought you were going to break up with me. I panicked."

They both laugh, and then Phil goes back to one knee, picking the ring box off the ground and handing it to her. "So, Maria Hill, mother of my child, will you marry me?"

She grins, and holds out her hand, and Phil slips the ring on her finger. She takes a few seconds to look at it before looking back down at him. She grabs him by the collar and pulls him up for a kiss, which lasts a little longer than proper in public, before pulling away and whispering, "Yes."

That evening, they go to the doctor, and it's confirmed. They spend the whole night planning and laughing. 

 


	4. Moving In (1991)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They sit together and plan their lives, and hope that everything else will fall into place as smoothly.

Engaged five weeks and ten weeks pregnant, the two agents sit in their new shared apartment in New York, eating Chinese takeout after finally finishing setting up their bed.

They're not really sure what to do about a wedding. Maria will start showing, so they're leaning towards the sooner the better. Neither of them exactly have friends to invite. Maria has a few old model pals she never talks to still in her address book, and they both have a few office friends, and there are their bosses, but not much else.

Until they get to the subject of family. Maria immediately tells Phil both her parents are dead. The way she says it, so strongly, make him want to drop the subject, but he sighs, and tells her about his family. 

"My father is an agent, very high up. I don't see him very often, holidays and birthdays, but I'm sure he'd come," he says while tearing at a paper napkin.

Maria smiles and puts her hand onto of his fidgeting ones. "And your mother?" 

"They're.. uh.. Well, there's no way my mother could make it. I have no idea where she is."

Maria nods, and like he did, she lets the subject drop. 

"So that brings the guest list up to a whooping one person," Maria jokes.

"Technically two people," Phil replies, patting Maria's still nonexistent baby bump. The two of them grin at this.

"So, you, me, your father, and our unborn child. Sounds like a real party... Maybe we should skip the intimate church wedding and go to the justice of the peace?"

Phil looks at her seriously for a moment, and Maria almost loses her nerve. "Is that what you really want?" he asks. She knows he dreams of white picket fences and Fourth of July barbecues, it's something neither of them had growing up, and they want to be traditional so badly. But it's hard to a traditional America family when she's technically Canadian, they're both agents for the world's largest top-secret security agency, and there's already a baby on the way. 

"I just think that... It would be easier for us. Just a simple ceremony and some papers to sign. And then we can go out for dinner. No fuss," she replies in-between mouthfuls of lo-mien. 

He's silent for a moment, and Maria fears he's going to completely disagree, and they're going to fight on they first night in their new two bedroom apartment, box full of crib parts waiting in their guest room, but he smiles and kisses her on the cheek swiftly. 

"Anything you want, as long as we get married."

The next day, they set up an appointment at the courthouse in five weeks time, and make a reservation for three at a classy restaurant. Phil goes about contacting his father while Maria schedules her doctor's appointments for the next three months.  


	5. Courthouse (1991)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to get married.

She’s a Canadian popstar turned secret agent, fifteen weeks pregnant, living in New York City with her fiancée, walking up the steps of the courthouse to get married when she sees two older gentlemen in black suits and sunglasses, staring down at her.

She can’t help but feel her plans for a simple wedding slip right out of her fingertips and crash onto the floor. 

Phil freezes beside her when he catches sight of the two men. Maria hangs her head down tries to think of an explanation. Agents in SHIELD get married all the time, she's not pregnant, she's fat, this dress is eggshell not white, and they were going to file the paperwork tomorrow, honestly. 

But then Phil nudges her, and she looks back up to see the younger of the two gentlemen smiling and approaching them. So maybe they're not getting caught after all.

"Maria, this is my dad, Kay, and that's his partner Dee."

Kay smiles and holds out a hand to Maria. She smiles nervously and gives him her hand, which her softly holds and then kisses.

"It's a pleasure to meet the woman my son won't stop talking about," Kay greets. "And mother of my first grandchild," he adds with a wink. "How much longer until I get to hold my grand-baby?"

Maria smiles at the affection. It's clear where Phil got his soft side. "A few more months, I'm afraid. We're going to find out the gender in a few weeks."

"Well, while we wait for the newest arrival, I think it's time for my daughter-in-law to join the family." Kay grins and holds out his arm, which Maria takes, but not before linking hands with Phil, and the three climb the steps to meet Dee, and then into the courthouse.

The ceremony is simple, and they are glad Kay brought along Dee as a witness. They exchange vows, and Dee snaps pictures like crazy of them as he wails about how beautiful weddings are.

After the ceremony, they make way to the fancy restaurant, where they reservation has been mysteriously changed from three to four, and the new husband and wife tell Kay all about their plans, how Maria is going to take maternity leave, and he's going to go on a desk job while the baby grows, and how they're already setting up the nursery.

Maria doesn't catch the doubtful look in Kay's eyes as she explains her plan, but Phil does, and it worries him. 


	6. Choices and Opportunities (1991)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life is full of hard choices and regret.

Today is the day. Today, Maria is submitting the paperwork to announce her pregnancy and file for maternity leave. Phil has a mission in Toronto, so Maria has to handle it all by herself. But she's confident. She's been wearing blazers and comfortable flats, hiding behind counters and half walls, holding files and large objects in front of her for weeks. 

She's got the paper work in her hands, just about to put it in the slot when someone calls her name.

"Hill! In my office, now!"

It's her superior. Perfect.

Clutching to her paperwork, Maria walks into the office and sits down, back straight, legs crossed at the ankles, and face void of any emotion. 

"Sir."

"Hill... Your performance recently has been... in the spotlight. You're being noticed. The higher ups want to put you in the field as soon as possible. Training starts next week in Texas."

Maria is thrown for a loop at this. Her dream is coming true, but so is her other one, and she knows if she turns this down, she'll never leave her desk.  She blinks, the nods. 

"Thank you, sir."

"Briefing reports are being sent to your residence tonight, and you'll have until Friday to pack your things."

Maria gets up silently and leaves. She goes to her desk and works hard, never stopping for a single moment, until it's time to go home. She walks to her apartment, eyes forward. She eats a meager dinner of left over spaghetti while reading her training briefings, and then lays down in bed and stares at the ceiling. 

The phone has been ringing ever since she walked in the door, but she's ignoring it. He probably knows by now, and she doesn't want to hear what he has to say. She knows that he won't get home until Saturday. 

She knows this isn't solely her decision to make. It's Phil's daughter just as much as it's her's, but this is her career. She's been ready for the field since day one. Can she really live with endangering their child so she can reach for the stars?

When he opens the door, he knows this is what he would see. He had hoped and prayed he wouldn't see it, but he knew it would happen. There's a note on the kitchen counter that reads "Phil"  in her handwriting, and the apartment just feels so empty. He drops his things by the door, passes by her note, and goes straight to their bedroom. He just wants to go to sleep and wake up and see everything the way it's supposed to be. 

He passes by the nursery on the way to the bedroom and sees a fully constructed crib with a mobile, a new armchair, and a new large box filled with parts for a changing table.  

"Please, let them be safe. Please keep them safe. Please bring them back," he whispers against the doorframe.  He gives the room one last look before closing the door and walking towards the bedroom. 


	7. Princess (1992)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She's becoming a real agent.

Her training goes smoothly. The uniform she wears during it is baggy enough that no one can tell what's going on with her. Every spar she enters, every training sequence, she pushes herself so hard. She shows so much promise to her superiors for it, but honestly, she's just trying to keep her daughter safe.

She apses with flying colors, and she gets put in surveillance first. She gets to dress as a civilian and tail people watch their interests and keep them safe and in watch. She pretends to wear a baby bump and pose and a glowing pregnant woman on these missions, and her partner often tries to plays father to be, though Maria always introduces him as her brother-in-law, not her husband, because this man didn't put those rings on her finger, even if the one who did probably never wants to see her again.

All her missions are successes, because Maria is well aware of what will happen if she fails. People will start questioning her and her methods, they'll pull her out of SHIELD so fast she goes into pre-term labor, or worse, she'll lose her daughter and never forgive herself.

Her and her partner get a new mission, their biggest one yet, handed to them in a hotel lobby. They sit in her room and read over the briefs, discuss plans and prepare themselves. There's a weapons cache being smuggled on a cruise ship, but SHIELD doesn't want the weapons or the smugglers, they want the guy in charge of all of this. Her partner supposes because the man presents a threat to world safety, but Maria has a feeling this is more about what power this man holds, and how SHIELD can use it, though she doesn't say anything at all. 

It gets late, and Maria wishes her partner a goodnight and opens the door for him, but he doesn't leave and sits on her bed. She stares at him blankly, refusing to believe  he's really trying to pull this, but as soon as he opens his mouth, she glares.

"Maria, take the pregnancy belly off, and let's have some fun," he puts, unbuttoning his shirt. "Get the adrenaline rushing before the mission." His shirt falls onto the bed behind him, and he does his best to make removing his belt look attractive. "These past few months, don't tell me you haven't.. felt the tension." His pants are around his knees, he's grinning at her, trying to catch her.

But Maria pulls out the gun in her thigh holster and aims it right at his groin. "If you want to keep those, I suggest you leave now. I _will_ shoot you and blow our cover."

He doesn't move until she clicks off the safety, and then he scrambles to put his pants back on. He doesn't bother with the shirt, and Maria keeps the gun on him until he's out the room and she can lock the door behind him. 

Once she hears his footsteps soften down the hall, she slips her gun back into her holster and rubs a hand against her belly. "Princess, I am so sorry you had to hear that." Maria is hopeful her daughter will never subconsciously remember this, but hope has a way of throwing up all over her shoes. 


	8. Dreaming (1992)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the life he's always dreamed of.

It's summer. The night before Fourth of July to be exact. 

They've moved out from the city to a nice little three-bedroom home in the suburbs. It's perfect. They even added in a white picket fence for the fun of it. 

They're new to the neighborhood, but their neighbors welcome them in with big smiles and open arms. There's a block party tomorrow, and they've asked him and Maria to be in charge of the second round of hotdogs. It's no problem on their part. He's been itching to grill something in the backyard with his new red, white and blue apron, Maria stopped by the grocery store on the way home from the doctor's loaded up with dogs and buns. 

He looks up from the grill, trying to get it ready for tomorrow, and sees her sitting on their newly installed porch swing, rocking back and worth with a soft smile on her face. He wipes his hands on a nearby towel and joins her. 

As soon as he sits down, she leans against him and nudges him until she's comfortable. He pulls her in close, and she tucks her head under his chin and sighs. "It's warm tonight," he murmurs. She nods against him, and somehow he just knows she grinning. Their hands meet atop her large pregnant belly, fingers curling into each other, his thumb rubbing across her knuckles. 

They're about to drift off from the serenity when they feel a small kick. He laughs at the feeling and rubs the area as Maria rolls her eyes at her already hyper baby. "Any day now," Maria comments. "I'm ready for her to get out."

He laughs and kisses her temple, and she makes another remark he doesn't quite catch, and then the noise just starts getting louder and louder until it becomes this buzz, and then it just all goes to black and...

Phil wakes up in cold sweat and hits the snooze on his alarm. He's had this dream every night for the past month. His daughter is due any day now, he's sure of it. And of course, he has absolutely no idea where she or her mother is. 

He's been doing his best at work to keep his mind off it, taking on anything he can just so he doesn't have any down time to think about whom out this wedding ring on his hand or whether his only child has been born yet. It's too difficult. The door to the nursery hasn't been opened for months. 

His father calls him every few weeks, offering updates on Maria, but Phil turns it down. He doesn't want to know, partly because he wants to believe this is a dream, and he'll wake up, turn over and see here there snuggled under the blankets with a huge smile, but also because he's terrified to hear if anything's happened. He know what field training is like, he's done it himself and even run it a few times, and field work... He doesn't know how Maria could do it while carrying a child, and he's scared to find out that she didn't.

He pulls himself out of bed, showers, shaves, and heads to the control room. Today, he'll be playing command center while two agents bring an arms dealer into custody. 

When he sits down and puts on his headset and calls the two agents, he nearly chokes up when they answer back. "Uncle Fester and Mother Hen checking in, we're approaching the rendezvous point in two hours. Uncle Fester is taking the south side, while I check the North. Will update if any new information arises."

He clears his throat and answers, "Check in confirmed. Over and out."

 


	9. Hostage (1992)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything is going according to plan.

She watches him out slink out of the room in her peripheral vision, while still chatting with an older woman in the buffet line. The little woman wouldn't stop questioning Maria. She had already gone through the whole story about how her med school resident husband couldn't make it on their vacation, so she was going with her gay brother-in-law instead. About how the doctor cleared her for the voyage and she wasn't due for another month. About how she made sure to call her husband everyday. About how she knew exactly where he was. About how happy they were. 

All of it a cover story. 

Finally, the little old woman fills her plate and wanders off to her table after wishing Maria goodbye. Maria smiles and waves back, and turns back to the table to finish loading up her plate. She carries it to the table her partner is sitting at and plops it right in front of him. 

"I'm not feeling so well. I'll be back in a few," she mumbles to him and waddles off to the nearest washroom.

She passes by the door, and rounds a corner and there he is, the arms dealer, talking on a satellite phone. She watches him closely, tries her hardest to listen in on what he's saying, but can't really catch anything other than the word "hostage". Her nostrils flare at the word, and suddenly Maria knows just how to she's going to be turning this man over to SHIELD. 

She walks out of her corner, looking around the ship and biting her lip. She turns in circles a few minutes before spotting the man and looking relieved.

"Excuse me? Do you know where the closest restroom is? One of the waiters told me it was over here, but I haven't seen it yet, and I'm getting so confused, and I don't even know which was the dining hall is now..." 

The man smiles at her and offers his arm. "I know exactly where it is. allow me to take you there, and then back to the dining hall?" 

Maria giggles and nods and takes his arm, and walks with him with all the grace a pregnant woman can muster. He leads her right to the washroom she passed, and she spends about five minutes in there, checking her weapons, stretching her calves and cracking her knuckles. She does her best to ignore her back pain, it's just been getting worse ever since she walked on this boat. She radios her partner and home base, and focuses on what comes next. If she were a religious woman, she would pray for safety. She is hopeful someone is watching over her. She has no idea how right she is. 

She exits the washroom and takes the man's arm once again. “I’m surprised your husband didn't come with you, especially in your condition," he comments, while clearly walking past the dining hall doors. 

"My husband isn't here with me. He got called in for an emergency last minute. Doctors!" she huffs and then laughs. He grins beside her and turns them down a hallway, which Maria is very aware leads to the side of the ship.

"That's such a shame. But a doctor! He'll be able to keep you comfortable and happy at least," he replies. Maria wants to roll her eyes at the subtext. It's so easy to get kidnapped these days. But she keeps smiling and laughing and acting completely oblivious.

They exit the inside of the ship, and she looks around the deck in confusion. "Oh my! Seems I'm more lost than you. Wait here while I go look for a map?" He's off like a light, and Maria braces herself. 

The two big arms that grab her and haul her up off her feet are no surprise, though she assumed the mercenaries would be taller. She puts up the necessary struggle until they finally hold a gun to her head and she lets them take her off the side of the ship and into a small boat easily. 

They tie her hands behind her back and sit her down in the boat and jet off. A few minutes later, they slow down and move her from the dingy to a yacht. She says nothing, just bites on her lower lip and forces tears to her eyes. These people are armatures. No one checked her for a gun or knife or radio. They didn't even check to be sure her pregnant belly is real. They're practically begging to get punched and thrown off the side of the ship.

The men and Maria sit on the deck and stare at each other. They all seem uncomfortable with her presence, though she should be the most uncomfortable of them all. She keeps quietly crying and biting her lower lip until the man of the hour makes an appearance twenty minutes later, holding the satellite phone up to his ear and pacing around like a bored child.

"We have a hostage and we're in international waters. No one is going to interfere with us.... Fine, fine. We're on our way." He hangs up and turns to Maria. "I'm so sorry to take you away from your cruise, but I need some insurance against getting arrested, and you just walked right up to me."

Maria wants to retort that he is far too easy, but it's not time to act yet. She's still waiting for the call from home base. They need to hurry up though, because her back is seriously killing her and god she just wants to lie down or shoot someone.

She does her best to channel the pain into her tear ducts, make herself think it's okay to cry about pain, that whimpering is perfectly normal and not something she's been trained to avoid at all costs. 

But the whimpering turns to a gasp when out of nowhere she feels a rush between her legs and watches a puddle form underneath her legs. Luckily, no one is paying much attention to her at the moment, and she's left to sit in her puddle unnoticed. She sighs and leans back against the deck railing. Of course her water would break now. She wants to bet the back pain was contractions too. 

It's time to start throwing some people. Even is SHIELD isn't ready to show up, her daughter is.

Her first course of action is to get her hands free, which is actually very easy since she done her best to leave room in her ropes and her wrists are damp from her personal puddle. Once she's free, she slides off her underwear and tucks it into her sweater pocket and then grabs an unsuspecting man around the neck, holds tight until he stops moving, and tosses him down some nearby stairs. She's done a quick headcount, and there are only two more mercenaries, the guy SHIELD is after, and the boat's captain. 

This is so easy, it's no wonder her daughter decided now was the best moment to have a baby. She works fast making her way to the captain. She pulls the gun out from her thigh holster and gets him tied up in a blink. Three more to go.

The next mercenary she encounters is absolutely stupid. He doesn't call for help or even makes any noise to indicate a struggle. She assumes it's because he thinks he can take on a pregnant woman with a gun. He falls down the stairs unconscious because it turns out he can't. Not even close. 

The noise of the man falling attracts the attention of the last mercenary and the dealer. They both come running at her, only one with a gun, and she easily shoots it out of the dealer's hand. The man is so busy holding his hand and whining about pain that the other mercenary is too distracted to pick up the fallen gun. Maria shoots him in the thigh. Both men are down and wounded, and Maria walks up to them and waves her gun about. 

"SHIELD will be here to pick you up any minute no-"

She doesn't finish the sentence and ends up on her knees in front of them, gun still pointing in their direction. It hurts so badly right then. She wants to just lay down and go to sleep, but she's read all the books and she does her best to crouch. Gravity will be her doctor today. 

The two men watch wide eyed as Maria reaches under her dress and comes back with blood with a little blood on her hand. And then, they watch her face contort and her lean back against anything she can find. She lowers her gun for a moment, and the mercenary almost  goes for the fallen gun, but Maria points hers back up in a flash and glares at both of them. 

Her face scrunches up in pain again, and she reaches down, and this time, her hand stays down there. It's a painful and awkward position, but Maria will be damned if anyone but her on this boat touches her or the baby. 

Finally, SHIELD radios her.

"This is Eagle Eye. Mother Hen, are you there? SHIELD transport ETA is two minutes. Status of captives?"

Maria grits her teeth and sucks in a deep breath. "This is Mother Hen. All aboard the ship have been disarmed. The package is waiting for you on the deck. I've got my gun pointed at his head as we speak."

There is a pause, and then Maria sucks in another deep breath and continues. "Is there a possibility there's a medic aboard the transport?"

"No. Is the package in need of medical attention?"

"No, but a hostage just went into labor."

"We were under the assumption you were the only hostage aboard."

"Correct," she hisses out. 

The line is silent from then on. She's not sure what happened over there, but it doesn't bother her too much, There's more pressing matters. 

She doesn't want to, not right now, but she pushes when the contraction hits again because it feels right. And she feels it. She feels something round. 

And from there, she just listens to her body and pushes and grunts and sweats and grunts. She never takes her eyes off the two men she's got at gunpoint. She watches them, glares at them, all while giving birth. 

She can feel most of the baby now, and with one more push, she's holding a crying mass of flesh in her arm. She pulls the little mess out and takes a quick peek down at her new daughter. She's absolutely perfect, even is she does have horrible timing. But her eyes go back to her captives and she lays her daughter down in her lap. 

Maris does her best to cut the umbilical cord one handed with the knife hidden in her bra, and then pull off her sweater to wrap up the little baby. She even nurses.

Still staring at her captives. Though it’s not that hard now. The arms dealer fainted as soon as Maria cut the cord and the mercenary is honestly in shock from what he just witnessed.

The baby is calm and is drifting off to sleep when SHIELD finally arrives. Her partner is first onto the boat, and as soon as he catches sight of a messy Maria cradling a baby, he's at a lost and just stands there dumbly. She growls at him to take the captives, and when he finally moves, she pulls herself up off the ground and heads to the ship. 

"I need medical attention," she announces. Everyone inside just turns to stare at her. She rolls her eyes. "I just had a baby! Maybe a fucking chair would be nice?!"

She seated and her and the baby checked over by the only person who has any medical training. She doesn't miss when someone calls into base. 

"Mother Hen is onboard. She's has a baby with her. ... I don't know, sir.  Should I ask? Oh. Okay." The agent walks over to her and hands her the radio. "Eagle Eye wants to talk to you."

She takes the radio and smiles. "This is Mother Hen."

"Maria, are you alright?! Is the baby okay?! You had the baby?! How did you..?! You've been going on missions while pregnant this entire time?! I just..?!"

"..Phil. Breathe," she replies. She adjusts her hold on her daughter and grins while she hears frantic breathing on the other end. "Our daughter is fine. She's sleeping right now. You need to see her. She's just perfect. I swear she has your nose."

She hears his breathing slow down, and then a sigh. A happy one. "I'll see you two in about ten minutes. ...Over and out."

"Over and out," she repeats.

The ship takes them to the helicarrier, where Maria has often wanted to be stationed, and they put her up in the medbay there. As soon as they get her to sit on the bed, Phil is in the room and he looks conflicted on what to do. Maria smiles and motions for him to sit on the bed. As soon as he's seated, she sets their baby in his arms and leans back on the pillows.

"We have to name her, you know," she comments, but Phil doesn't hear her. He's staring down at their child and taking her in. Maria watches as he runs a finger down the baby's cheek and just stares. 

After a while, he looks up at her, and she feels like she's back on that beach when that cute assistant first talked to her. She flustered and doesn't know what to say or do but look right back. It's that tinkle in his eye, she's always at a loss when she catches it. 

"Maria..."

She hasn't head him say her name like that in months, so softly and loving, and it just crumbles whatever was left of her agent exterior. She shifts from the pillows to sit straight up and literally falls to pieces in front of him.

"I'm so sorry, Phil. I'm so sorry. I put our daughter in danger every single day and I just left you. I just wanted the job so much, but I didn't think about it. I didn't think how hard it was going to be, or how I was even going to pull it off. I didn't think how much I was leaving behind, how much I was taking with me..." She shudders for a moment and buries her face in her hands. "I'm a terrible person, and I know you'll never forgive me, and.."

But Phil just pulls her in close and she cries into his neck while he strokes her hair and rocks their child. Maria issuer he feels him crying against her. How can he even touch her? After the torture she's put him through.

"I've missed you so much, you have no idea," he whispers into her hair. She clutches onto him in response, hoping he understands she missed him too. They stay like this until their daughter wakes up hungry and Maria feeds her. 

"I sort of picked out a name for her.." Maria nods encouragingly at this, and Phil snuggles Maria a little more into his side. " I was thinking Darcy. I read it in a baby name book a few weeks ago, and it's just stuck with me... but if you don't like it.. I mean, you've been with her the whole time you've probably already got something-"

"I've been calling her princess the whole time. Darcy sounds perfect."

They look down at her, their new baby, Darcy, and she looks right back up. Phil leans down and kisses Darcy on the forehead, then does the same to Maria. 

A few days in the medbay later, Maria is called into Nick Fury's office. He's a high up, fresh from war and the CIA, and Maria is a little nervous. The man is going to be something big soon, she knows it, and if he wants her gone, she'll be gone, regardless of whether or not she just had a baby.

"Agent Hill. I heard you've been working hard during your pregnancy," he starts as soon as she's in the door.

She sits down in front of his desk, back straight and face emotionless. "Yes, sir."

"Heard you just had the baby too, on a mission no less."

"Yes, sir."

Fury looks at her hard, then shuffles some papers on his desk. "....Consider you maternity leave papers filed and in motion. We won't be needing you or Agent Coulson in the field for a few years." He leans forward and sizes her up before leaning back and spinning away from her in his chair. "Dismissed."

Mara gets up and leaves, unsure whether to be relieved, angry, or elated. But she freezes as soon as Fury speaks up again. "I saw your daughter, cute kid.  Coulson keeps showing the pictures to everyone. It'd be shame for her to lose her parents..."

Maria doesn't move, doesn't even breathe when she hears this. She's in a panic because really, what is this man trying to tell her. Is she dead? Is she safe? Is she being let go? "I said you're dismissed Agent Hill. Gather your family and your personal belongings and get off the helicarrier as soon as possible." 


	10. Returning (1992)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She's afraid they'll never be the same again.

It feels strange to her. Four months away from all this, and here she is, riding in the back of a car next to a baby carrier. She thinks all of this, but she knows what she means. Four months away from him and their home. 

She's not sure what's going to happen. She's been apologizing to him for days, but he always just cuts her off and hugs her. It's confusing. She doesn't expect them to pick up right where they left off. They're not that happy, newlywed and expecting couple anymore. They're two people with a marriage license and a baby.

She wonders if he'll ever forgive her, but she has a feeling that if she'll never forgive herself, he's probably not going to either. 

He parks the car and they take the elevator up to the apartment. In the elevator, Darcy starts to fuss, so Maria takes her out and rocks her while Phil holds the carrier. The doors ping open and the two of them make their way to their door. He opens it for them, and Maria feels like she stepping back into her old life.

The apartment is exactly the same as she left it. Not a piece of furniture has been moved, nothing added or removed. Until she rounds the kitchen counter and sees a high chair with a whimsical bird pattern on it. When she left, they didn't even have a high chair, but she had circled this one in a catalog months ago, so Phil must have bought it.

She rocks Darcy and stares at the high chair for a moment, before turning her stare on Phil. He's at the door, setting down the baby carrier and locking their front door. She wants to say something, anything, but more so she wants to cry. 

It hurts her so bad to see that he's been waiting for her. She had hoped that maybe he would have moved on and given up on, but he just loves to prove her wrong. He's such a believer and dreamer. She wishes she could be like him, instead of hopeful, yet so much more doubtful. 

He leads her toward the nursery, which Maria notices is finished, completely furnished, and has a closet bursting with little dresses and shoes. It's perfect. Phil draws her over to the crib and turns to her.

"Here, let's put her down for a nap. She's probably exhausted from the car ride... And then we can take a nap too," Phil whispers. He runs a hand over Darcy's head and then steps back. Maria carefully puts Darcy down and the two of them watch the tiny girl resettle herself and quickly fall into a deep sleep. 

They stand there for a few minutes, just watching Darcy sleep, then Phil puts an arm around Maria and pulls her close. She snuggles into his side and sighs in contentment. She had missed this dearly. She tries not to think about how amazing he would have been throughout the rest of the pregnancy and focuses on how amazing of a father he is proving to be. 

 

Maria turns to him and wraps both arms around his middle and burrows into his neck. Phil in turn holds her close and rubs her back. This is them, old them, the them Maria wishes they still were, but when they finally kiss each other for the first time in months, Maria realizes they've always been these people. They never stopped loving each other. 

 

A few hours later, Maria wakes to the sound of faint crying and the mattress moving beneath her. She pokes her head out of the covers and catches a glimpse of red, white, and blue boxers leaving the room. She tries to get comfortable again in bed, but now the mattress is cold and there's no point in trying to heat it up by herself. She rolls out of bed and picks up Phil's discarded shirt and pulls it over her before following the crying and rustling into the kitchen, where Phil is rocking and singing to Darcy while trying to feed her. 

 

She can't help but grin at what she sees. 


End file.
